UK Gym Chain Energie Fitness Ditches Facial Recognition Cameras Across All 

Published Date : 18/11/2024 

Following a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Energie Fitness has agreed to remove facial recognition technology from all its branches. 

Are you ready to give it 100% at the gym? How about giving up your biometric data too? Steve got in touch with us at Big Brother Watch after his local gym, Energie Fitness, installed facial recognition gates.

Energie Fitness, a chain with 55 branches across Britain, was requiring a facial scan to enter the gym.

Steve said they were giving him no choice but to use it or forfeit his membership.

The law is clear businesses and employers must provide an alternative to biometric access requirements, whether that be a PIN, ID card, or keyfob instead of a face, fingerprint, or even iris scan.

Failing to do so is a breach of data protection law.

We got in touch with Energie Fitness, escalating the issue to get answers about their facial recognition system.

When they refused to provide the necessary information, we reported them to the data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (the ICO).

We submitted a detailed report, including Steve’s evidence and our correspondence with Energie Fitness.

After several months, in November 2024, we received a response from the ICO.

According to the ICO, Energie Fitness did not breach data protection law because they provided an alternative method of entry to facial recognition technology.

However, this contradicts Steve’s experience and what we heard directly from the Energie Fitness branch.

Critically, as a result of the investigation, Energie Fitness told the ICO that they would be removing facial recognition technology from all their branches.

Our report to the ICO did its job.

It reminded businesses that they can’t install invasive surveillance technology without facing pushback and scrutiny from both the public and organizations like Big Brother Watch.

Facial recognition is becoming more prevalent in our daily lives, from schools to workplaces and high streets.

We cannot allow invasive biometric identity checks to become normalized for everyday activities like clocking in at work or paying for a school dinner.

We will continue to challenge the use of disproportionate facial recognition technology wherever we find it and help you do the same.

If you’ve experienced facial recognition technology in your daily life and are concerned that the operators aren’t respecting your data rights, get in touch with us at info@bigbrotherwatch.org.uk.

Name changed to protect anonymity. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS):

Q: What is the main issue with Energie Fitness's facial recognition system?

A: The main issue was that Energie Fitness required members to use facial recognition to enter the gym, with no alternative provided, which is a breach of data protection law.

Q: What action did Big Brother Watch take against Energie Fitness?

A: Big Brother Watch reported Energie Fitness to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after the gym refused to provide information about their facial recognition system.

Q: What was the ICO's response to the complaint?

A: The ICO found that Energie Fitness did not breach data protection law because they provided an alternative method of entry to facial recognition technology, though this contradicted member experiences.

Q: What is the outcome of the ICO's investigation?

A: As a result of the investigation, Energie Fitness agreed to remove facial recognition technology from all their branches.

Q: How can individuals report concerns about facial recognition technology?

A: Individuals can report concerns about facial recognition technology to Big Brother Watch at info@bigbrotherwatch.org.uk. 

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